Chapter Forty-Three
Lainey
I heard the front door open, quickly followed by Brian’s voice beckoning, “Lainey?”
“I’m upstairs!” I called from where I was propped up against pillows on the bed, nursing Conor.
It sounded like a herd of elephants ascending the stairs, and I quickly placed a receiving blanket over my breast right before Brian popped his head around the corner and asked, “Everything okay?”
“No problems at all.”
“You made sure to pay attention to double check that nobody was following you today?”
“There wasn’t a car in sight when I drove to and from the O’Briens’.”
“Or anywhere else?”
“I mean, there were cars, but none appeared to follow me to the bakery.”
He winced.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to get the bakery cleaned up more last night. I’d planned on sweeping up after the DPS guys left, but then I got called to Hannigan’s for a barfight.”
I chuckled.
“I heard. That place must account for half your business.”
“On the weekends anyway. And the occasional out-of-control Ladies’ Night on a Thursday.”
“Nothing on Taco Tuesdays?” I teased.
“No, it seems that tacos make people happy and not want to fight. Tequila, on the other hand… Fortunately Jimmy isn’t inclined to offer a tequila special on Tuesdays.”
“He probably likes a mellow night every now and then, too.”
“Well, Angus appreciates the down days.”
“How’s your new rookie doing?”
He took a step further into the room and lowered his voice.
“If you repeat this, I will deny it, but he’s pretty damn good. I mean, it’s a natural transition from what he was doing, so it makes sense. But it’s his first day, and I already would send him on calls before I’d send some of my guys who’ve been on a couple of years.”
“Well, the action Adam has seen versus what Hitchcock and Scully have seen, are probably lightyears apart.”
“I told you, Lain. You can’t keep calling Smith and Vega that!”
“Well, when they stop acting like them, I will. Anyway, your secret is safe with me. Speaking of our very own John Nolan… where is he?”
“And you have got to stop watching TV crime dramas!”
“Never! It’s my guilty pleasure.”
“They’re so unrealistic. You need to go on a ride along and see what it’s really like.”
“You’ve said so yourself, it’s pretty boring in Haven Springs.”
“Knock on wood. Your stalker and Adam’s assailant are enough excitement around here to last a while.”
“Anyway… your rookie? Did you drop him off outside of town in some sort of hazing ritual?”
“No, the Chief frowns upon that. He’s making sure his keys work next door. I think he’s probably walking through while he’s alone to get a better feel for the place. It’s hard to open closets and cabinets when you have Sylvia following you around.”
“Speaking of Sylvia…”
“Drop it, Lainey.”
“I’m just saying, there seemed to be some underlying animosity between you two.”
“Not on my part. I’m over it. She made her decision; it’s not my problem if she’s not happy with who she chose.”
“Fair enough. Consider it dropped. So, is Adam moving into the Garcia’s?”
“He mentioned he’d rather keep staying here until you go back to your apartment. Something about needing to be here for Conor’s three a.m. feeding?”
“He doesn’t have to keep doing that,” I murmured as I lifted the blanket and looked at my baby boy.
“I get the impression it’s not a hardship for him.”
“Yeah. He says they bonded their first night over poop and vomit. I have to admit, Conor’s really calm in his presence.”
“Conor seems to be a pretty chill baby, anyway. He’s a lot like his dad that way.”
“That’s true.”
We were quiet for a moment while I think we both remembered instances when Shawn was easygoing.
Finally, Brian broke the silence. “For what it’s worth, I think Adam will be a good influence in Conor’s life.”
“Yeah,” I replied wistfully. “I do, too.”
Meanwhile, I’d have to figure out a way to get over my feelings for him.
Maybe a date with Justin was just what the doctor ordered. Now I needed to see if he followed through.
****
Adam
We finished our shift on time at seven that night, and Brian asked if I wanted to grab dinner.
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Call Lainey and see if she’s eaten, and if she hasn’t, ask her what she wants.”
I could feel him studying me for a second before he said, “Yeah, okay.”
I heard him press two buttons, then he put the call on speaker when it rang.
She answered right away.
“Hey, Bri. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, Adam and I are finishing up and were going to grab something to bring home for dinner. Adam suggested we ask you what you want.”
“You know I love pizza and a cookie.”
“Pizza and a cookie—got it. What do you want on it?”
“Pepperoni okay?”
“Sure. What kind of cookie?”
“You know, I haven’t had their chocolate chip in a while. That sounds good.”
“You got it. We’ll be home soon.”
He hung up, then immediately called Pizza and More to place our order.
When he finished with them, he told me, “We’ve got twenty minutes, why don’t we make a few more rounds through town?”
“It’s not my gas,” I quipped as I made a right turn—the opposite direction of the pizza place.
The town was quiet, which I expected at this time on a Monday night. There were a few couples out for an evening stroll, several people walking dogs, and even a few kids out riding their bikes. Typical life in a small-town kind of stuff.
All of them waved and smiled as we drove by.
“You’re really considerate when it comes to Lainey,” Brian observed as I crawled the patrol car along the neighborhood streets.
“I guess. I mean, we did live together for a week. And we sort of shared a traumatic experience. If you think about it, she’s the reason I ended up staying here.”
“Yeah, I know. Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”
“I wouldn’t do that to Shawn.”
“Shawn’s dead, Adam. She’s not. And neither are you. You wouldn’t be doing anything to him.”
“Weren’t you his best friend growing up?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, shouldn’t you want to punch me in the face if I got with his girl?”
“No, just the opposite, actually. Lainey and Conor deserve someone trustworthy to take care of them.”
Despite what Lainey said, I knew Brian wouldn’t think that someone was me if he knew I was the reason Shawn had been killed.
“I can’t imagine Lainey would like the idea of someone taking care of her.”
“Probably not. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen. And frankly, it seems like you already are.”
“Being considerate and taking care of her and Conor are two different things. Besides, don’t you think the town would have a field day with that gossip? Christ, we’re already the talk of the town.”
“Oh no doubt. But who the fuck cares?”
“I guess I do. I wouldn’t want to dishonor Shawn’s memory like that.”
“Shawn died a hero; his memory will be just fine. And here’s the thing about Haven Springs. People move on to the next juicy morsel pretty quickly. You’d be yesterday’s news before you even knew it.”
I shook my head. “She should find someone worthy of her, and that’s not me. Maybe she’ll hit it off with the doctor.”
“Maybe. But why don’t you think you’re worthy of her?”
“I’ll tell you some night over a few beers. After you tell me what happened between you and Sylvia.”
“So, never then.”
I shrugged, secretly relieved we’d put this conversation to bed.
****
Lainey
Brian’s voice boomed, “Pizza’s here!” when he walked through the door, followed by Adam.
I paused the TV and got up from the couch to take the boxes from Brian while they both took their boots off at the door, letting them drop with loud thuds before they each quickly removed their duty belts.
Adam let out a sigh of relief when his came unbuckled. I imagined it was probably the equivalent of taking a bra off at the end of the day. Female officers must get double relief when they got home from work.
“How was your first day?” I politely asked Adam.
“It was productive, yet blissfully uneventful, if that makes any sense.”
“Kind of?”
“We made a little bit of progress on your case, and I was able to meet a lot of people who I ruled out as being the guy who attacked me.”
“But we’ve still got plenty of people to talk to,” Brian added.
“That’s good.” I glanced at the dining room adjacent to the living room. “I wasn’t sure if we’re allowed to eat in here, so I put plates and silverware on the dining room table.”
Brian pawed the air.
“Please. You’re ‘allowed’ to do any damn thing you want here. But yes, I eat in front of the TV all the time.”
“Okay, well, you guys get changed, and I’ll set up the food.”
“Don’t wait for me,” Adam declared as he walked toward the stairs. “Eat while it’s hot. I’m gonna jump in the shower first.”
An image of me with my tits flush against the tiles on my shower wall while he pounded me from behind popped in my head. He looked at me and pressed his lips together, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. It made me wonder if he’d said it on purpose.
“Yeah, me too,” Brian said. “I’ll only be a few minutes, but don’t wait.”
After I briefly considered—then quickly ruled out—joining Adam, it didn’t take long for me to clear the coffee table and move the plates and silverware next to the boxes with the Pizza and More logo.
The idea of eating without them felt rude, so I went to the kitchen and filled three glasses with ice.
I wasn’t sure if the guys preferred soda over water, or maybe they’d even want a beer, so I took their cups to the living room before returning to put water in mine
I got situated on the couch and hit play to continue watching my show.
And yes, it was a cop drama, but it was almost over so they would just have to suffer through until it was done.
The pizza smelled so good that finally I opened the box and grabbed a slice. With the plate in my lap, I took a bite of the cheesy goodness and moaned out loud as soon as the mozzarella hit my tastebuds.
“You can’t do that, princess.”
I let out a little squeak of surprise. Adam stood barefoot with wet hair in the doorway of the living room, wearing blue and green plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt that hugged his chest and arms.
Forget the chocolate chip cookie, I wanted him for dessert.
Nope, not gonna happen again, Lainey!
I chewed quickly, then swallowed before I proclaimed, “I didn’t realize you were there. Sorry. And you can’t call me princess.”
He blew out a breath as he stepped further inside the room and took a seat on the opposite couch.
“Yeah, I know. It’s gonna take some time to break the habit.”
I wasn’t going to let him get away with that. “I can’t imagine how much of a ‘habit’ it is. We barely know each other.”
“Aw, don’t say that, Lainey. You know that’s not true.”
Brian walked into the room and plopped down on the couch next to me before reaching for a plate.
“What’s not true?”
Neither Adam or I said anything for a second, but I finally mumbled, “Nothing,” while Adam shook his head and looked away. I couldn’t tell if he was mad or disappointed.
Because I barely know him!
But even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t true. We’d spent the last ten days getting to know each other—intimately, both physically and emotionally. I’d shared a lot of things with him that I hadn’t shared with anyone else, not even Shawn.
Maybe that’s why his rejection had stung so badly.
Or maybe it was more than that.